Author: Traveling Rockhopper

If you have one free day in Manila, visit the site with Taal volcano (volcanoes and lakes).
Taal Volcano is the smallest active volcano in the world (311 meters tall), located about 50 km from Manila.

Mount Pinatubo is still an active volcano and it’s intensively monitored, so the site seems to be safe for trekking.

Mount Pinatubo is located about 90 km from Manila, so it’s a great option for a day trip.
The terrain is beautiful and caldera lake is also very scenic.

The hike is not difficult, but may be a bit demanding at the end.
For me, it was only a bit annoying, that we had to cross water (seasonal rivers and lakes) several times on the way; but that depends on the season, how rainy it was.
Anyway, I can highly recommend this hike. 🙂

Mt. Pinatubo erupted a few times in 1991, and then in 1992.
During its large eruptions, the volcano spewed out more than 5 cubic km of magma and sent an ash cloud 35 km into the air! (more info e.g., here & here )
Moreover, that time, there was also a typhoon that “helped” to spread ash (and “everything”) to towns surrounding the volcano. 🙁
It was a huge natural catastrophe.

Mount Pinatubo is a volcano located in the northern Philippines, Luzon Island, about 90 km from Manila.

There were huge eruptions in 1991. Before 1991, Mount Pinatubo was apparently dormant for about 600 years. And, before the eruption it was 1745 m high, currently 1486 m.

After this horrible eruption, a lake was formed in the crater. So in today’s picture, you can see the caldera lake of Mt Pinatubo (about 2.5 km wide, 85 m deep).

Lots of “water activities” can be done in the Philippines.
E.g., scuba diving or snorkeling are very popular.
There are many way to enjoy water in the Philippines. 😉

Tarsier is a cute, tiny animal that lives in Bohol.
Apparently, it’s the oldest known mammal, called as the midget monkey of the Philippines.
Tarsier measures about 85 to 160 mm and its tail is longer than its body.

Unfortunately, also in Bohol earthquakes or tsunami may happen. However, it’s not so common there, because Bohol is quite well protected by other islands.

A very strong earthquake hit Bohol in 2013. It destroyed a lot in the island, even some of the Chocolate Hills!

I love mint chocolate, so I had to write you this post. 🙂
Chocolate Hills in Bohol are “brown” during the dry season, other times they’re rather greenish, so they are “mint chocolate hills”. 😀 Doesn’t it sound delicious? 😉

The beautiful hills you see in today’s picture have a sweet name “Chocolate Hills”.
Unfortunately, they aren’t made of chocolate. 😉
They’re covered by grass that turns brown in dry season, that’s why people called them as Chocolate Hills.

There are almost 1300 hills in Bohol! Their height ranges from 40 to 120 meters.

Bohol is a beautiful island.
Well, the Philippines have plenty of amazing islands, but Bohol is my favorite.
Bohol has a bit of everything, great nature, i.e, lovely beaches, hills (Chocolate Hills!), animals (tarsier).
Don’t miss it, while visiting the Philippines.

I think, Bohol is mostly known from Chocolate Hills; next days, I’ll tell you more about them. 🙂

If you ask me, what’s my favorite place in the Philippines, the answer is very easy – it’s Bohol Island.
It’s such a lovely place! I hope you’ll understand my point of view, after seeing (next days) some of my pictures from Bohol.

When I was going to rice terraces in Banaue, I had “unexpected attractions”. People were building a road, and using dynamite to destroy some rocks. I have to say, it was first time in my life, seeing something like that (today’s photo). It was interesting to observe it, but also a bit scary while hearing the explosions…

When you want to visit Banaue, be aware, that you may have to walk a bit (or a bit more). I guess, it depends on the weather conditions, e.g., strong rains or landslides can make the path more complicated. When I was there, the road was under construction, so our walk was even longer than usual.

In Banaue, you can see wooden figures of a rice god Bulul (Bulol).
It’s likely to meet locals carving figures of Bulul – buy one, it’s a nice souvenir. 🙂

Banaue or the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces is an amazing site with rice terraces, listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Some people even say, that it’s the most beautiful place in the Philippines. I’ll show you my favorite site soon, it’s not Banaue, but Banaue is definitely a must-see in the Philippines.

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and it’s its the most populous city.
I guess, the majority of tourists enter the Philippines in Manila and then visit the capital.
I didn’t have so much time in Manila, however from that what I’ve seen, I wasn’t really impressed. But, it’s a good starting point for many trips.

When I travel somewhere, I’m always happy if I don’t’ have to deal with the bureaucracy to organize a visa. Well, sometimes it’s very easy to get a visa, but for other countries it may be very problematic.

To enter the Philippines, many nationalities don’t need a visa; and can stay there up to 30 days. That’s very convenient. 🙂

In the Philippines, you’ll see many of these funny, colorful cars. They are very popular, not only among the tourists.
They’re made from US military jeeps left over from World War II.
They are called Jeepney.

If you’re in the Philippines, you just have to take a ride with Jeepney. 🙂
But be aware, they may take many (tooooo many 😉 ) passengers, even over 50!

Flight delays are apparently quite common in the Philippines. They may be caused by bad weather conditions or simply by technical problems. Well, it’s like it is, so don’t make your schedules too tight. 😉

The Philippines are a land of volcanoes, also active ones.
That makes the landscapes more special and beautiful, but it also makes the country more dangerous.